


Beneath the Juniper Tree (the Wrath like a Millstone Remix)

by Achika



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 08:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2184225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achika/pseuds/Achika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi Seijuurou was not pleased to be thrust back into a court he loathed, especially not when his father had so kindly left him a war to win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beneath the Juniper Tree (the Wrath like a Millstone Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rikkamaru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkamaru/gifts).
  * Inspired by [What Tangled Webs We Mortals Weave](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1972128) by [Rikkamaru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkamaru/pseuds/Rikkamaru). 



Being in the palace again after so long was a surreal experience. His memories of his life there before Shuuzou found him hiding beneath the Juniper tree were old and faded around the edges, with large holes in them. But Akashi remembered that particular tapestry hanging in the corridor, and the desk that had belonged to his father seemed much larger in Akashi’s memories than in the reality in front of him. 

“Akashi-sama,” said a voice behind him. 

Akashi almost fumbled the book he was examining in his surprise. He turned around. 

“I believe I gave orders that I was not to be disturbed,” Akashi said, raising an eyebrow. 

The servant didn’t look intimidated. “Nijimura-san says that he wants to make sure you remember to join him for dinner in two hours, Akashi-sama,” 

Akashi rolled his eyes. “Tell Shuuzou that I’ll be there,”

The servant nodded once before disappearing, the candle light emphasizing his blue hair, and something about him tugged at the threads of Akashi’s memories. 

 

Akashi did not see the blue haired servant for a while after that incident, and was far too busy to look for him even if he’d been inclined to go chasing after someone who was no better than a phantom in Akashi’s mind. 

The war Akashi had inherited was not going as well as it should have been. By any logic, Akashi’s kingdom should have won the war within the first two years but the war was now stretching into its fourth. 

“Honestly I don’t know what he was even thinking, starting a war when he was in ill health,” Akashi said. 

Nijimura shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t want his enemies to know he was sick and take advantage of his weakness, so he struck first? Does it really matter what the old bastard was thinking?” 

“I suppose not, but _some_ sort of insight would be helpful at least,” Akashi said, and took a sip from his glass, which was much less empty than it had been a few minutes earlier.

There was a tray of sandwiches on the table that most certainly had _not_ been there when Akashi and Nijimura had seated themselves there. 

“You…have really, really good servants,” Nijimura said, gazing at the sandwiches in suspicion. 

“Apparently so,” Akashi said. 

When Nijimura did not keel over after eating one, they deemed the sandwiches safe to eat, which almost made the situation stranger. 

 

Akashi was still going through his father’s papers, trying to figure out what was important and what wasn’t. The study was a mess. His father would have been appalled at the state of it, but that was what he got for having the gall to die and leave a war behind for Akashi to sort through.

“Akashi-sama,” said a voice, and this time Akashi did not react at all. No one could catch Akashi Seijuurou off his guard more than once. 

“Yes?” Akashi prompted. The blue haired servant had again appeared without Akashi noticing. 

“There are some books that seem to have fallen,” he pointed out, setting down the tea set he’d brought with him. 

Akashi looked over to where the servant pointed, and sure enough half hidden out of sight were some books of his father’s. 

“Ah, so you’re right. Bring them over here with the rest of them,” Akashi ordered.

Akashi narrowed his eyes, studying the servant. 

“You look familiar,” Akashi said. 

“I’m surprised you remember me at all, Akashi-sama,” the servant said. 

“What’s your name?” Akashi asked. 

The servant just smiled, barely a quirk of his lips. 

“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” he said, motioning to the piles of books and letters everywhere. 

Akashi’s eyes followed reflexively, only looking away for a split second, and when he looked back the servant was gone. 

 

“This whole situation is really quite irritating,” Akashi said. 

“You could always surrender,” Nijimura said, before laughing at the absurdity of the suggestion. 

“I’ve certainly weighed that option,” Akashi said, rubbing his forehead.

“Well, soon enough I’ll be on the front lines and then the war will be over,” Nijimura said confidently. 

“Win it for me quickly,” Akashi said. He had every faith that Nijimura would end the war swiftly and decisively, once he was actually out there.

Akashi dreamed of being a child and wandering through the palace on his own. He wasn’t sad, his moether’s death a distant ache and his memory of her was her smiling, and saying how she’d prayed just for him and had her prayers answered – “A child as red as blood and as white as snow!” she’d teased, and tugged at his hair. 

He wasn’t lost or scared as he wandered either, completely unaware of what his father and the council were planning and content to roam the castle and explore. 

In his dream, he stumbled upon a little boy his own age with light blue eyes that matched his hair. The two of them played together, hiding from all the adults. The boy knew all the best hiding spots and hidden passages. 

“ _I’m Seijuurou, what’s your name?_ ” Akashi asked.

“ _My name’s_ –“

 

“Akashi-sama, you are going to be late for the meeting with the council,” the servant said the next morning. 

Akashi honestly couldn’t care any less about being late for a council meeting, but there was an image that still had to be maintained, and so he set aside the financial records that he was looking through, carefully marking his spot to return to it later. There were a few inconsistencies that merited a further look. 

“Kuroko Tetsuya,” Akashi said, enjoying the look of surprise that briefly covered the servant’s face. “I am quite sure that I told you to call me Seijuurou, when we first met,” 

“I’m honored that Akashi-sama remembered me, but that would be inappropriate,” Kuroko said.

“Tetsuya, you’ve shown yourself to be competent, tell me what you think of this here,” Akashi said, pointing to some numbers in the ledgers his father had kept. 

Sometimes, despite being absolute in every respect, a second pair of eyes was good for confirmation. 

“Akashi-sama is too kind with his compliments,” Kuroko said dryly, before leaning over to look at the ledger. 

Kuroko’s face was as impassive as ever, but Akashi could see a slight down turn of his lips and a slight narrowing of his eyes the more he read. 

“That number only makes sense if someone was embezzling. There was no drought, no plague that year. The prices of crops should have been much lower,” 

“And your suspects?” Akashi asked approvingly.

“I’m only a humble servant, I wouldn’t presume to know,” Kuroko said, but he continued to look troubled. “But now you are _very_ late for the council meeting, Akashi-sama, please follow me to the council chambers,”

 

Nijimura was being sent out on his first assignment, and Akashi did not know how to feel. Nijimura would of course do excellently, Akashi had no doubt about that and expected nothing less, but there was part of Akashi that was still hesitant about it. 

It might have had something to do with the barely concealed glee in the councilors eyes when the General declared that Nijimura would be sent to the front lines, to command the infamous Hanamiya Makoto. 

Akashi smiled down at Nijimura, who was kneeling in front of him. 

“Shuuzou, stand,” Akashi said, and Nijimura did. 

“Put your knife to my throat,” Akashi said, and Nijimura did. 

The council shifted, confused and nervous. There were some disturbed mutterings. 

“Nijimura Shuuzou, I trust you with a blade to my throat,” Akashi said, but he wasn’t looking at Nijimura, he was staring down the council. With each word the knife’s edge pressed against his skin, but no blood was drawn. “And as I trust you in this, I trust you will use this knife on my enemies and end the war swiftly and without mercy,” 

The council looked, if anything, even more disturbed and shaken. 

“If that is your will, Seijuurou,” Nijimura said, and Akashi could tell that he was smiling. 

 

“You gave your council a heart attack with that stunt,” Kuroko said, after the meeting had been concluded. 

Nijimura was set to leave the next morning. 

“You act like that’s hard to do,” Akashi said. 

“No, I imagine it’s quite easy, actually. But antagonizing them might not be the best move,” 

Akashi thought back to the books in his fathers’ study, and the inconsistencies they contained. Now that Akashi had seen them, and knew which paths to look down, it would not take long to weed out the people pretending to be his allies. 

“You’re wrong. I think antagonizing them is exactly what they need. It will make them foolish,” Akashi said. 

Kuroko did not argue the point. 

 

Akashi saw Nijimura off in the morning, in front of a small crowd. 

Nijimura leaned down, and pressed his forehead to Akashi’s like he’d done when they were younger.

“Be careful. Be alert. Trust no one,” Nijimura said, voice pitched low so no one else could hear.

“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?” Akashi asked.

“It’s good advice for the both of us,” Nijimura said, and then stepped back. 

“Win it for me quickly, Shuuzou,” Akashi said, loud enough for the others gathered to hear.

“At your command,” Nijimura said, and then he was off to the front lines of the war, to try and tame unruly subordinates. 

“He’ll be alright,” Kuroko said, appearing at Akashi’s side suddenly. 

It had become comforting, the way Kuroko could just appear whenever Akashi seemed to need him.

“I know,” Akashi said. 

That didn’t mean that a little apprehension wasn’t prudent. Nijimura wasn’t popular at court, after all, despite being Akashi’s greatest champion. Or perhaps because of it. 

A lot of things could happen with a war for a cover. 

 

“I hear your boy is making friends with mine,” Imayoshi Shouichi said. He was back in the capital briefly before his next assignment, now that keeping Hanamiya under control had fallen to Nijimura. 

“Shuuzou is very friendly,” Akashi said. 

“I’m getting that impression,” Imayoshi said, brandishing a letter that Akashi could only assume was from Hanamiya. Akashi was faintly surprised, because Hanamiya didn’t seem like the letter writing type and he’d apparently been very vocal in his dislike for Imayoshi. 

But Hanamiya had listened to Imayoshi anyway, so maybe the letter wasn’t so surprising after all. 

“It sounds to me like only idiots would try to get in your Nijimura’s way when he’s got his mind set on something,” Imayoshi said, still smiling pleasantly. 

“I’m fairly sure I’ve never heard of you being an idiot,” Akashi said, and Imayoshi’s smile sharpened. 

“Oh I’ve been called many things in my time, highness, but idiot certainly isn’t one of them,”

“That’s good to know. You’re dismissed,” Akashi said, and Imayoshi kept smiling and gave a lazy salute as he left. 

 

Nijimura’s letters from the front were promising. The information that he and Hanamiya were gathering was good, and though the enemy probably didn’t realize it, was helping Akashi zero in on the traitors in his court. The money trails weren’t exactly subtle, and Akashi could only blame the fact that they’d been missed for so long on his father's prolonged ill health before his death.

Unfortunately, the traitors appeared to be nearly everyone, and even his father's ill health was suspect.

“This is certainly not an ideal situation,” Akashi said, as Kuroko refilled his tea cup. “Sit for a moment, Tetsuya, and join me for tea. I’d like to hear your opinion on the matter. You are in a unique situation to have special knowledge of it,” 

Kuroko made an excellent sounding board and his tendency to disappear and reappear at will and pass by unnoticed was a spectacular gift. Akashi would eat scissors if Kuroko hadn’t used it for a little bit of spying around. Especially once he knew there was something worth spying on. 

“Akashi-sama only wants to use me for my lack of presence,” Kuroko said, but there was the faintest trace of a smile.

“Not at all. I also want you for your excellent tea pouring skills, and you’re not difficult to look at either. Your lack of presence is only a bonus,” Akashi said, playing along. 

“It’s mean to tease people, Akashi-sama,” Kuroko chided, which amused Akashi even more. 

“Have you ever known me to lie to you?” Akashi asked. “And please, call me Seijuurou,” 

“No,” Kuroko said, and then with just a hint of pink to his cheeks, “What do you want to know?” 

 

Unfortunately, as much as Akashi would like to recall Nijimura and Hanamiya from the front lines and just let them deal with the court in their own special way, it wasn’t a particularly feasible plan. No matter how deserving the victims may have been, the general populace never took well to things like that and Akashi had an image to maintain. 

Still, it was a nice daydream, especially during these particularly tedious meetings. 

“Seijuurou-sama, your tea,” Kuroko said, and gave Akashi a significant look. 

Akashi blinked once, the only sign of his surprise, and accepted the tea with a nod. He set it down in front of him. 

“Thank you, Tetsuya,” Akashi said, and Kuroko moved on to the next person. 

It wasn’t long before the councilors started having breathing problems, and it wasn’t long after that that they stopped breathing entirely. 

“Well,” Akashi said, perfectly composed in his seat at the head of the table, his own tea untouched. “This was certainly a more productive meeting than I’d hoped for,” 

“How strange they were all allergic to the tea today,” Kuroko said idly. Then he turned and smiled at Akashi. “Ah, Seijuurou-sama, remind me to properly thank Nijimura-san for the book he lent me. It was very helpful,” 

Akashi couldn’t help but laugh, and pulled Kuroko over to kiss him on the cheek, and the birds outside could be heard singing happily.

**Author's Note:**

> So much to say! This was actually my second Remix attempt for Rikkamaru, but the first one stalled out at 700 words and honestly I like this one better I think. I got to play with Fairy Tales! I mean, what's not to like?


End file.
